A worthwhile experience but make sure you're prepared Past Review
By A student (Jacksonville University) - abroad from 05/25/2019 to 06/29/2019 with
Sant'Anna Institute: Sorrento - Live, Learn and Immerse in Italy
I gained a much greater worldview, and learned how to immerse myself into a foreign culture. It was worthwhile and definitely increased my maturity and independence. Plus, I made lots of friends!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Great experience, but choose your classes wisely! It can be a workload most aren't prepared for within the time frame, especially if you're looking to travel on your own while you're here. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The rooms are a bit small to be triples, and you have to pay for laundry. You get a cleaning service once a week, which is nice. |
| * Food: |
The kitchens are very useful, but there's no food provided, which was expected. There's a grocery store not too far which has most of what you need. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
While here, you really do immerse yourself into the culture. By the time you leave, you'll feel like a local. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
City is very safe, but beware in bars. Also, there's not a person at the reception desk as often as there needs to be because there were various incidents where other students brought strangers into the dorm. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I'd probably choose a program that wasn't as long, but the location is great. They just didn't accommodate as much as I was told. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I was told that at most, prepare $100 a week for food, souvenirs, etc. I overspent doing the bare minimum, barely ever going out with friends, because of the extra expenses they required us to pay on excursions and for laundry, cleaning, etc. You can live off $100 a week if you literally do the bare minimum and never eat out. If you want to really enjoy your time here and have fun outside of the dorm, definitely plan $200 or more a week. Sant'Anna provides travel from the airport but from there on out, you're on your own. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150-$175 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You don't need to eat out every night. Buy groceries and cook with your friends. Bars are fun but they can get expensive. Always make sure you have at least $50 in cash for any excursion. Also, they don't provide transportation back to the airport so budget an extra $50. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | High School Spanish, no Italian whatsoever |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Take a class while you're here or download a translation app or book. Most everyone in Sorrento speaks English so you can always get by without it, but it is polite to use it. Just know the basics. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The expense of going abroad. There are a lot of things that come up that nothing can prepare you for. Budget at least twice what they tell you. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
